Craft, instinct, and a city lived from the inside.
Margherita Maccapani Missoni moves through Milan the way she works—intuitively, across disciplines, between past and present. Founder and creative director of Maccapani, she traces a city shaped not only by design, but by the rituals, rooms, and relationships that make it hers.
During Milan Design Week, we turn to Margherita Maccapani Missoni, founder and creative director of Maccapani, for a guide shaped by instinct, craft, and a deeply personal relationship to the city.
Working between heritage and reinvention, Margherita’s Milan moves fluidly across disciplines, from the intimacy of Museo Poldi Pezzoli to the experimental energy of Alcova and Isola. Her selections trace a city in constant evolution, where historical collections sit alongside new forms of design thinking, and where exhibitions, food, and fashion exist in close dialogue. At the center is her own expanding world: Maccapani, a project rooted in the language of everyday life, where utility, memory, and self-expression converge. This season, it extends into Casa Brera through a curated edit that brings together Italian artisans and a new generation of makers. A Milan defined not only by design, but by the ways it is lived, worn, and reinterpreted.
Museo Poldi Pezzoli
Wonderful private collection, and it is not to be missed.
Andrea Branzi by Toyo Ito at the Triennale
If I only had time for one show, it would be this.
Alcova
Alcova is ever inspiring, and this year it expands across two locations. I’m particularly looking forward to visiting Villa Pestarini, designed in the 1930s by Franco Albini and my highlights to see are Studio Lugo, Patricia Urquiola for Cassina and Haworth, Boccamante, Atma, Llewellyn Chupin… amongst others.
MACCAPANI EDITS for The Luxury Collection
A new Maccapani Edit, this time with The Luxury Collection at Casa Brera. Maccapani, alongside a mix of Italian artisan pieces and brands I love, curated by yours truly for the space. Come by, might see you there.
Anselm Kiefer: Le Alchimiste at Gagosian
A breathtaking homage to a series of female figures who, between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, engaged in medical and alchemical experiments. Can’t miss!
ISOLA DESIGN FESTIVAL, Fondazione Kenta
Isola is currently my favorite area of Milan, and The Evolving Now is the theme of the tenth edition of the Isola Design Festival 2026, which brings the focus back to Fabbrica Sassetti.
Bar Quadronno
One of my favorite spots for traditional panini.
Temporary Bistrot & Restaurant Famiglia Rana
By now, a true Fuorisalone landmark and one of those places people wait all year to return to.
CROMO – Secret Teahouse
A new tea brand launching with a one-of-a-kind experience on top of one of Milan’s most iconic buildings.
Atto a Caffè Leopardi
It opened at the same time as the Maccapani shop, just across the street. We made them a Moto T, and the great thing is that they have some of the best coffee in town, with the added bonus of serving non-Milanese drinks like hojicha lattes.
Bar Paradiso
One of my favorites at the moment.
Maccapani
I might be biased, but the new Macapani store is the hottest thing in town. It’s a sort of gallery living room, where you can cruise Maccapani alongside a bi-monthly curation of vertical vintage designs, as well as a few niche Italian products, from the perfect ribbed t-shirt to enameled gold medals and Murano glasses.
Franco Jacassi
Not to be missed as an institution in the city.
Shop The Story
Curated vintage from the most loved fashion designers.
Casa Brera
My favorite hotel in Milan is Casa Brera. It’s also very well located to explore Salone because it’s in the middle of the Brera district. During this Salone, with Macapani, I will be putting on a Macapani Edist for Casa Brera on their terrace on the square, where we will be showing Macapani alongside a curation designed by Italian artisans.
#74CityGuides takes us across the globe with voices from our cultural community, tracing cities through lived experience, personal rituals, and the places that continue to shape them.
